My New Family
by Megan Hermione Lovegood
Summary: OneShot. Please read 'The Unknown Griffin' first. This short oneshot shows Cindy lying awake on the night she moved in with the Griffins, thinking about her past and about her new family.


**A.N. Hello, readers. For starters, to understand what's going on here, you'll have to read my other Family Guy fanfiction, 'The Unknown Griffin.' Not the whole thing - the first two chapters should do. For those of you who _have _read it, this is just a short oneshot from Cindy's point of view, showing her thoughts from the first night she was with the Griffins. Enjoy!**

I was free. Finally, after all those years of abuse and repression, I was free at last.

I know a parent's death shouldn't make you feel good at all, but in truth, I was relieved. Finally, I had escaped her. No more beatings, no more verbal abuse. She was gone; gone forever.

I knew that, from the moment I met them, that I would like living with the Griffin family. Sure, they were weird, crazy and dysfunctional, but it was obvious that they really loved each other - maybe, in time, they would love _me._

I had never been loved before. Sure, I'd met a few people who might have _liked _me, but I'd never had that kind of love that only a family - _your _family - can give you. I rolled over in bed and stared around my attic room, smiling. I knew that I liked Stewie, my prodigy brother. He was effeminate, slightly matricidal and hilarious. I cared deeply for him already.

I liked Peter, my father, a lot as well. He was a complete moron, no point denying it. He also ate and drank a lot, to the point where I questioned whether or not he still had a functioning liver. However, he was a good man, and funny to boot. He was the kind of person you couldn't get properly mad at - not for long, anyway.

Lois. Lois was everything I wished that my mother had been. Sweet, kind, compassionate, and a passable cook. She was also a complete and utter bitch, but I still liked her.

Chris. I...I hadn't actually said so much as two words to Chris yet. Oh well, he seemed a nice fellow anyway.

Meg. OK, she might have been a whiny teen drama queen, the sort of person I couldn't stand. However, she was also smart, kind and had been a help to me as I'd settled in.

But I liked Brian most of all. He was the family's anthromorphic dog. Yes, in addition to their crazy, dysfunctional ways, my new family had a talking dog. And not just any talking dog, but a sarcastic talking dog who smoke and drank a lot. I liked him from the moment I saw him.

There came a knock from the trapdoor. 'Come in,' I called out softly. Brian came in, switching on the light.

'Hi,' he said, walking over to me. 'I thought you were awake. Are you OK?'

'Just fine.' I answered. 'I can't sleep, though. I'm not used to this.'

'Not used to what?' he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

'This!' I said, waving my hands around slightly for emphasis. 'The feeling of being wanted. Of being liked. Of not being treated like a dog covered in shit.'

Brian raised his eyebrows, smirking. I smirked back, shaking my head. 'You know what I mean. I'm just not used to it. Having a proper family at last.'

'Things must have been rough for you.' Brian said. I sighed. 'I guess they were.'

'Do you want to talk about it?' he asked. I shook my head. 'No. Not yet. I don't think I'm ready just yet.'

He nodded. 'I understand. I think I know sort of what you went through. I was abandoned by my mother when I was only a few weeks old. I had cruel new owners that abandoned me when I was nearly four. I lived on the streets until I was five, when Peter found me on the verge of death and took me in.'

My eyes widened. 'OK, that's...that's pretty bad.'

Brian chuckled. 'Quite. Well, I'd better go back to bed. Goodnight, Cindy.'

'Night.' I said. I paused. 'Do you...do you maybe wanna sleep on my bed?'

'OK.' He climbed onto the foot of the bed and curled up into a sleeping position.

'Night.'

I said goodnight back, then lay back on my pillow and slipped into sleep, dreaming of waking up to my new family the next day.


End file.
